A Quick Guide to Christianity
When I was 14 years old, I had a conversation with a friend of mine about my Christian faith, and I realized I knew a lot less about my religion than I previously thought. I found myself answering a lot of questions with “I’m not sure, I should look that up” or “I just try not to worry about that stuff.” Although those are common answers that people often give when talking about their religions, I wanted to have more confidence in my answers. That single conversation changed my life, because it inspired me to explore both what I believe as well as what other people believe, because I wanted to understand my friend’s perspective better. In fact, that one conversation is a significant reason I write online about religion: to help others better understand and discuss their beliefs.
Here is a list of the 3 resources that have helped me understand Christianity better and also understand how to better talk about Christianity.
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis is one of the most influential Christian writers of all time. You may have heard of his The Chronicles of Narnia series, a popular fantasy series that is actually a metaphor for Christianity. Lewis wrote many other incredible books on Christianity, but Mere Christianity is the book that has always stuck with me.
Mere Christianity is the perfect book to read to get a great introduction to Christian theology through a beautifully written piece of literature. It uses metaphors and stories to explain complicated theological topics in very creative ways. Mere Christianity covers a wide range of topics and uses logic and reason to support Christianity.
This book has changed my life and has changed the way I look at Christianity. Lewis makes Christianity very simple and easy to understand, and while also making my understanding far deeper and more sophisticated. It’s also really helped me have conversations about Christianity with other people because Lewis is such a fantastic writer who makes complicated concepts super easy to understand and explain.
For instance, when writing on free will, a very complicated topic, Lewis gives an extremely clear and concise answer:
“Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.”
Lewis also writes about the humane side of Christianity which we can all relate to on some level:
“The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self--all your wishes and precautions--to Christ. But it is far easier than what we are all trying to do instead. For what we are trying to do is to remain what we call "ourselves," to keep personal happiness as our great aim in life, and yet at the same time be good.”
Lewis does a great job of concisely making his points. Sometimes when people ask me questions about Christianity, I will show them quotes from Mere Christianity because Lewis explains answers far better than I can.
Does God Exist? - William Lane Craig and Christopher Hitchens Debate
I am a strong believer in learning about and understanding other perspectives, and debates are a fantastic way to see compelling arguments from both sides. In this debate, Christopher Hitchens, who was a well known atheist, and William Lane Craig, a Christian theologian, debate the existence of God.
This debate goes through scientific, historical, philosophical, and psychological arguments for and against theism (the existence of God).
I first stumbled across this debate on Youtube when I was in 8th grade. I assumed I would get bored right away, but I actually stayed up past midnight to finish watching the 2 hour debate. I was so intrigued by all of the scientific and historical facts used in the debate and I was interested to hear arguments for something about which I didn’t agree. I found it so enthralling that I even watched this debate again and wrote an analysis of it for a school project.
This debate has really helped me articulate my reasoning when talking to others about Christianity or the existence of God in general. It's important to understand the counterpoints to your arguments. You may not agree with those points, but many others will. Understanding those ideas helps you better understand the people who believe them, also.
Questions Christians Hope No One Asks Them by Mark Mittelberg
Every Christian has questions around Christianity that they hope no one asks them, because they aren’t sure how to answer them. For me, I’ve always struggled with questions like how we can know what beliefs are the truth, and how science and religion can coexist.
Questions Christians Hope No One Asks Them goes through difficult questions around Christianity, such as:
“How could a good God allow so much suffering?”
“Why do you condemn homosexuals?”
“Didn’t evolution put God out of a job?”
These are just a few of the questions answered in the book, and not only are these questions answered, but there are also tips on how to engage in conversations about the topic.
This book had a big impact on my life because it helped me to feel more comfortable answering questions that before I felt like I couldn’t explain well. It also helped me on a personal level because a lot of the questions in this book are questions with which I have wrestled.
“Why should I think that heaven really exists-and that God sends people to hell?”
The chapter on this question was especially compelling to me because I thought about this often. It is a huge question that comes up for a lot of people, and in one chapter (15 minutes of reading) this book gives a very detailed and thorough explanation to something people often wrestle with for a lifetime.
No matter your opinions on Christianity, it is important to be informed on a topic that has had and continues to have a huge influence on the world. I encourage you to engage with one of these resources because they have each helped to improve my understanding on Christianity, and I hope they can do the same for you.
